2-6-2023 BALI BIRD PARK, BALI - BARN OWL (Tyto alba)

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. It is also known as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from the other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae).

There are at least three major lineages of barn owl: the western barn owl of Europe, western Asia, and Africa; the eastern barn owl of southeastern Asia and Australasia; and the American barn owl of the Americas. Some taxonomic authorities classify barn owls differently, recognising up to five separate species; and further research needs to be done to resolve the disparate taxonomies. There is considerable variation of size and colour among the approximately 28 subspecies, but most are between 33 and 39 cm (13 and 15 in) in length, with wingspans ranging from 80 to 95 cm (31 to 37 in). The plumage on the head and back is a mottled shade of grey or brown; that on the underparts varies from white to brown and is sometimes speckled with dark markings. The face is characteristically heart-shaped and is white in most subspecies. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie, drawn-out screech.

8-7-2022 SILLA, VALENCIA - BARN OWL (Tyto alba)

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/11901-Hirundo-rustica

2-6-2019 LINYANTI CAMP, BOTSWANA - BARN OWL (Tyto alba)PHOTO COURTESY OF MRS VALERIE FISHER

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn_owl

2-6-2019 LINYANTI CAMP, BOTSWANA - BARN OWL (Tyto alba

15-6-2018 OLIVA MED MERCAT, VALENCIA - BARN OWL (Tyto alba)

15-6-2018 OLIVA MED MERCAT, VALENCIA - BARN OWL (Tyto alba)

8-5-2017 ARCOS DE FRONTERA, ANDALUSIA - BARN OWL (Tyto alba)

The Barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds. It is found almost everywhere in the world except for the polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, most of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. This owl does not hoot but utters an eerie, drawn-out screech.

The Barn owl is a medium-sized, pale-colored bird with long wings and a short, squarish tail. Its head and upper body typically vary between pale brown and some shade of grey in most subspecies. Some are purer, richer brown instead, and all have fine black-and-white speckles except on the remiges and rectrices (main wing and tail feathers), which are light brown with darker bands. The heart-shaped face is usually bright white, but in some subspecies it is brown. The left ear is slightly above the eyes on the vertical plane, whereas the right ear is slightly below the eyes. The underparts vary from white to reddish buff among the subspecies and are either mostly unpatterned or bear a varying number of tiny blackish-brown speckles. The beak varies from pale horn to dark buff, corresponding to the general plumage hue, and the iris is blackish brown. The feet, like the beak, also vary in color, ranging from pink to dark pinkish-grey and the talons are black.

Barn owls occur in all of Europe (except Fennoscandia and Malta), most of Africa apart from the Sahara, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Australia, many Pacific Islands, and North, Central, and South America. In general, they are considered to be sedentary, and indeed many individuals remain in chosen locations even when better foraging areas nearby become vacant. Barn owls are birds of open country such as farmland, plantation, shrubland, savanna, or grassland with some interspersed woodland. They prefer to hunt along the edges of woods or in rough grass strips adjoining pasture. For nesting and roosting, they choose holes in trees, fissures in cliffs, disused buildings, chimneys, hay sheds, barns, or silos.

8-12-2015 KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - BARN OWL (Tyto alba)

The barn owl (Tyto alba) is the most widely distributed species of owl in the world and one of the most widespread of all species of birds, being found almost everywhere except for polar and desert regions, Asia north of the Himalayas, some islands of Indonesia, and some Pacific Islands. It is also known as the common barn owl, to distinguish it from the other species in its family, Tytonidae, which forms one of the two main lineages of living owls, the other being the typical owls (Strigidae).

There are at least three major lineages of barn owl: the western barn owl of Europe, western Asia, and Africa, the eastern barn owl of southeastern Asia and Australasia, and the American barn owl of the Americas. Some taxonomic authorities classify barn owls differently, recognising up to five separate species, and further research needs to be done to resolve the disparate taxonomies. There is considerable variation of size and colour among the approximately 28 subspecies, but most are between 33 and 39 cm (13 and 15 in) in length, with wingspans ranging from 80 to 95 cm (31 to 37 in). The plumage on the head and back is a mottled shade of grey or brown; that on the underparts varies from white to brown and is sometimes speckled with dark markings. The face is characteristically heart-shaped and is white in most subspecies. This owl does not hoot, but utters an eerie, drawn-out screech.

The barn owl is nocturnal over most of its range, but in Great Britain and some Pacific Islands, it also hunts by day. Barn owls specialise in hunting animals on the ground, and nearly all of their food consists of small mammals, which they locate by sound, their hearing being very acute. The owls usually mate for life unless one of the pair is killed, whereupon a new pair bond may be formed. Breeding takes place at varying times of the year, according to the locality, with a clutch of eggs, averaging about four in number, being laid in a nest in a hollow tree, old building, or fissure in a cliff. The female does all the incubation, and she and the young chicks are reliant on the male for food. When large numbers of small prey are readily available, barn owl populations can expand rapidly, and globally the bird is considered to be of least conservation concern. Some subspecies with restricted ranges are more threatened.

The barn owl is the most widespread landbird species in the world, occurring on every continent except Antarctica. Its range includes all of Europe (except Fennoscandia and Malta), most of Africa apart from the Sahara, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Australia, many Pacific Islands, and North-, Central-, and South America. In general, it is considered to be sedentary, and, indeed, many individuals, having taken up residence in a particular location, remain there even when better nearby foraging areas are available. In the British Isles, the young seem largely to disperse along river corridors, and the distance travelled from their natal site averages about 9 km (5.6 mi).

In continental Europe, the dispersal distance is greater, commonly somewhere between 50 and 100 kilometres (31 and 62 mi) but exceptionally 1,500 km (932 mi), with ringed birds from the Netherlands ending up in Spain and in Ukraine. In the United States, dispersal is typically over distances of 80 and 320 km (50 and 199 mi), with the most travelled individuals ending up some 1,760 km (1,094 mi) from their points of origin. Dispersal movements in the African continent include 1,000 km (621 mi), from Senegambia to Sierra Leone, and up to 579 km (360 mi) within South Africa. In Australia, there is some migration, as the birds move towards the northern coast in the dry season and southward in the wet season, as well as nomadic movements in association with rodent plagues. Occasionally, some of these birds turn up on Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island, or New Zealand, showing that crossing the ocean is within their capabilities. In 2008, barn owls were recorded for the first time breeding in New Zealand. The barn owl has been successfully introduced into the Hawaiian island of Kauai in an attempt to control rodents; distressingly, it has been found to also feed on native birds.